Country visit: Ethiopia

Independent Expert on Minority Issues, February 2007: In her report A/HRC/4/9/Add.3, following her mission to Ethiopia 28 November to 12 December 2006, the UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues, Ms. Gay McDougall notes “caste-groups” in her recognition of minorities in Ethiopia:

I. Recognition of Minorities in Ethiopia

6. Government census statistics from 1994 reveal that the Amhara and Oromo ethnic groups each comprise about 30 per cent of the population, while the Somali and Tigrayan ethnic groups each comprise circa 6 per cent. Numerous other groups make up the remainder of the Ethiopian population of over 70 million, with only the Afar, the Gedeo, the Gurage, the Hadiya, the Keffa, the Sidama, and the Wolaita officially constituting more than 1 per cent of the overall population. The populations of some of the smallest ethnic groups can be counted in the hundreds and research is still required to fully document all communities. Some have estimated that the true number of ethnic groups, including subgroups and “caste-groups” is far higher